• DETAILS: Mexican auto plants and their suppliers are waiting for more details from government in order to prepare their phased-in reopening on May 18 after the industry was declared an essential activity. Auto plants were shut down in late March due to the the coronavirus pandemic.
• REOPENING: Following pressures from domestic industry and the US, Mexico announced today that transport equipment manufacturing -along with mining and construction- will be able to resume operations. Still, Mexico’s auto sector is asking for clarification on exactly what this encompasses.
• DEFINITION: “An assembly line cannot manufacture a vehicle that does not have all of its parts. If it is not complete, it cannot go on sale”, said Fausto Cuevas, head of Mexico’s auto industry association (AMIA). Industry is expecting for all their suppliers are allowed to restart operations.
• MUNICIPALITIES: The Mexican government also announced that 269 scarcely populated municipalities across the country where no contagion has been detected will be able to resume activities on May 18. The rest of the country is planned to join the phased-in reopening on June 1.
